Fruit wine or brandy makers?

[livinonfaith]

Have a crop of plums about to ripen in the next few weeks. I lost most of them last year to insects and rot, but am hoping to do better this year.

If I can even get a tenth of what's on the trees, there would be more than enough for any canned goods and such I should want to make.

If so, I would love to try some kind of Plum Brandy or wine. I was just wondering if any of you had ever attempted it and if you have any suggestions for success.

I've looked at a couple of sites, so I have a basic idea of the process. But everyone knows that the people on this site tend to have their own unique ways of doing things and I love to hear new ideas!

Also, any information you might have for fig brandy or liquor. I once accidentally fermented some fig preserves in my fridge. When I went to dump it, I realized what had happened and tasted what was left in the jar. Heaven!!!!

Unfortunately, most of the jar was already in the trash. If I could recreate that wonderful rich flavor again in liquid form, I would be a happy woman!

Any suggestions are welcome!

[Tracydr]

I put some fruit in brandy once. It came out really nice. Dried Currants.

[Lcottomsvcs]

I make mead with the honey I get from my bees. Many types of mead are fruit-based, and use less chemical additives than grape wine. I like the website www.gotmead.com. It has lots of resources and recipes. Plum wine would be really yummy! And you would be entering into a whole new hobby. I can talk you through a lot of the process, if you need help.

[kurt]

Be careful,brandy is a liquor and illegal without papers,beer and wine legal for home use up to certain amount.

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by Lcottomsvcs

. I like the website www.gotmead.com.

Yes, Gotmead.com is a fantastic resource, especially if you're just starting out in mead making. I mostly used it for research and recipe ideas rather than actively posting, and you can easily find all the information you need there to get you started. I don't make as much mead as I used to, but I still have a decent stash of well aged meads in the basement!

[livinonfaith]

Thanks guys!

I have read a few sites on mead production and it is intriguing. Maybe a mix of the two would be a good fit. There are also several sites about using fruit and herbs with vodka or other liquors to make flavored liquors.

I still think it would be fun to start at least one batch from the plum juice and try to get it to a wine stage. I already have some wine making equipment. (It was a birthday gift) I haven't used it yet because my grape harvest hasn't been heavy enough.

Kurt, you're right, I had forgotten that you have to distill for Brandy. I really don't want to get on the other side of the law, nor do I want to kill anyone with bad brandy. (Also I've heard that coiled tubing is hard to get!) Better to stick with the wine. Less trouble all around!

I used to know a guy who had a contraption in his back shed to make apple brandy many many years ago. Tasty stuff, but it would knock your socks off. He's gone now, and all his secrets (and the coiled tube) are gone with him.

[Father'sDaughter]

The coiled tube was probably sold off for scrap. The price of copper is insane these days! I have some coiled tubing myself, but it only gets used as a wort chiller when I make beer.

Good luck with your adventures in fermentation!

[rockhound]

For the most part, copper tubing is only sold in coils. Some hard copper pipe is in 10 ft lengths or so but when you buy tubing it's always rolled up. Too much giggling would make you look suspicious, I suppose, lol.

[livinonfaith]

Honestly, I believe his coiled tubing was glass. Some kind of medical tubing, that you had to have a license to get. I'm pretty sure that is what he said.

Don't know why he had glass rather than copper, maybe had something to do with sanitation? It was a pretty complex setup, as I recall, (only saw it once) and the Brandy was quite tasty, so I assume he knew what he was doing.

He only made it in small amounts for friends and family.

[Sherry_AK]

I have a liqueur recipe using Everclear. The recipe is actually for our wild lowbush cranberries, but I have used it for raspberries, blueberries, currants, etc. and it's delicious. Let me know if you're interested in that one and I'll dig it out and post it. It's a multi-day process, but not at all difficult.

[Ted Posey]

Ever try tomato wine? Someone told me his grandfather used to make t and it was delicious.
I tried a couple of years ago. When I let it set to settle the dregs, the color settled to the bottom too leavig the liquid clear. When I tasted it itas terrible. Lol Don't kbnow what I did wrong.

[ChrisK]

I like this little book for 1 gal. unusual recipes:

http://www.amazon.com/Making-Wild-Wi.../dp/1580171826

I don't agree with their choice of fermenter though. I use glass containers or food grade buckets only.

There is a home brew store in Raleigh (www.AmericanBrewmaster.com) that carries it and they can also give you some help. They carry all the supplies you need.

If you go the mead route, The Complete Mead Maker is the gold standard for technique.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Compleat-M.../dp/0937381802

The key to a quality home fermented product is sanitary technique!

[livinonfaith]

Hey Thanks ChrisK!

It's nice to know that there is a place close by. I was reading up on mead and plum wine today, just to get a feel for what each entails. It sounds like it would be best to get one of the wine yeasts rather than to use regular yeast, so hopefully the home brew store would have some different varieties.

Already having some of the equipment makes it seem a little less daunting. I do still need something to test acidity and sugar levels, though. Also, I would need to figure out how to juice (or press) all of those plums.

Heck, if I chicken out of wine making, making flavored liquors sounds like a fairly easy alternative. A couple of weeks ago while at my sons orthodontist, I saw an article about adding sage to gin.

It sounded intriguing, so I picked up some gin and added fresh pineapple sage and mint. It was quite tasty added to lime juice and sugar syrup with a touch of Ginger ale.

[ChrisK]

You definitely need a real wine yeast, it'll cost about $1. Bread yeast will not be suitable.

There are options for juicing and pressing. For a small batch you can use a food processer or even potato masher and use a straining bag and just press it by hand. Use of pectic enzyme will help it clear and breakdown the pulp. Add sulfite to the must to then sanitize it prior to pitching the yeast. Making wine is much easier than brewing beer but does take patience!

For a 1 gal batch the book mentioned above uses 3-4 lbs of pitted plums. Are you interested in dry wine or maybe a sweet melomel (fruit mead)?